David Gilmour on early Floyd Albums

Here are some declarations made by David Gilmour on albums such as Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother:

Edited by geneyesontle - April 12 2012 at 20:30

The Ummagumma live album is one of my post played favorites.

I agree with him mostly. Atom Heart Mother had good bits going for it, and a certain audacity.

Compared to their about turn under Waters both albums were very weak.

They wouldn't have been well regarded excepting the era they were released in.

Pink Floyd didn't really get started until Echoes on Meddle, as Roger Waters has said. Obscured By Clouds was rather half-assed, but getting more focused. Then DSOTM, and the rest is history.

I happen to be a huge fan of Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother, so I don't agree with Gilmour that those were the nadir in Floyd's catalog - that would go to "It Would Be So Nice" (they rejected Syd's "Scream Thy Last Scream" for this?) and about half the tracks from More.

If I had to agree with Gilmour on anything regarding those works, it's this:

1. As interesting, weird and cool as the studio side of Ummagumma is, it was probably for the best that they didn't attempt a sequel, basing their future works on themes found on the more normal tracks ("Grantchester Meadows", "The Narrow Way") instead of the more wacky ("Sysyphus", "Several Species...", "The Grand Vizier's Garden Party").

2. I think "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast" was a dud. It's not horrible, it just doesn't do much.

We as a community like them but he as the artist was striving for something else. They were very much still learning their craft. I understand his sentiments. But I like those albums. Even if flawed i like to hear the band develop.

Yeah, I can understand Gilmour's feelings about them, even though I think they are great.  I first heard them at the end of the 80s', and thought they were some of the most amazing music I'd ever heard.  Over the years, I've come to see the Umma Gumma stuff as basically a big experiment that didn't really work out very well.  The live album is great though, but he's right it doesn't seem to be recorded all that well (still better than bootleg quality though).  The funny thing is, I think Gilmour's The Narrow Way is the best of the bunch, with the first part being incredibly beautiful.

Atom Heart Mother is a great album, no matter what Gilmour says.  Though I have to say his guitar skills are still a bit weak and tentative on that album.  But you have to appreciate the scope and ambition of the title track.

Frankly though, I liked them much better than when they were international superstars.  I much prefer Meddle to Dark Side and Wish You Were Here, as great as those albums are.  I'd take anything before Dark Side over anything after it.  But that's just me.

geneyesontle wrote: Here are some declarations made by David Gilmour on albums such as Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother: "Well, we'd decided to make the damn album, and each of us to do a piece of music on our own... it was just desperation really, trying to think of something to do, to write by myself. I'd never written anything before, I just went into a studio and started waffling about, tacking bits and pieces together. I haven't heard it in years. I've no idea what it's like."  - Himself on Ummagumma (The Narrow Way)   "I think both are pretty horrible. Well, the live disc of Ummagumma might be all right, but even that isn't recorded well." - Himself on Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother   "Atom Heart Mother was a good idea but it was dreadful. I listened to that album recently: God, it's sht, possibly our lowest point artistically. It sounds like we didn't have any idea between us, but we became much more prolific after it."   "I think Atom Heart Mother was a good thing to have attempted, but I don't really think the attempt comes off that well." - Himself on Atom Heart Mother

infandous wrote: zravkapt wrote: infandous wrote:  The live album is great though, but he's right it doesn't seem to be recorded all that well (still better than bootleg quality though).    Nope. That live album sounds worse than many bootlegs from 1969; that's what he is referring to. The performance of 'The Man-The Journey' recorded on a Dutch radio broadcast from 1969 sounds incredible. I think Mason said that they had better recordings with better performances but for whatever reason the ones on the album got used at the last minute. You know, I have that The Man The Journey bootleg, and it sounds terrible.  I have had numerous Floyd bootlegs, and most of them sound worse than the Umma Gumma live album.  Again though, I did say the sound wasn't very good, and I have wondered why it was they couldn't have found something better.  So I guess it's fair to say that *some* bootlegs sound better than that live album.

I have 'The Man - The Journey' as well and I much prefer the sound quality on Ummagumma.

Nogbad_The_Bad wrote: The Ummagumma live album is one of my post played favorites.

this

I agree with some of Gilmour's statements. However, there are still pieces I love from those times. AHM of course I love. As for Ummagumma studio, well, it was a nice experiment, but the only piece I like is "The Narrow Way", and Sysyphus part 1. I wish The Narrow way had been released in a live format. As for Ummagumma live, I really love it, and the sound quality, even if it could be better, doesn't really bother me much. In general, I like early Pink Floyd live much better than on studio... for me the Live Early Pink Floyd was the real Early Pink Floyd, I wish there was more early concerts released.